View full sizeSam Riche, MCTWith his job at Jacksonville seemingly hanging on making it to the playoffs, Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio brings a desperate team to Cleveland after a 3-6 start.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Jacksonville Jaguars pulled a Houdini act in their game against the Browns last year, escaping with a win despite committing six turnovers. No NFL team had done that in three seasons.

The question in Jacksonville is can coach Jack Del Rio perform a similar illusion by holding his job past this season?

Del Rio has had three winning seasons in nine years as Jaguars coach. He steered his team to playoff appearances in 2004 and 2007. That earned him a contract extension that runs through 2012. But all his assistants are in the final years of their contracts.

Owner Wayne Weaver declined to re-invest in Del Rio until he made the playoffs again. At 3-6, the postseason looked out of reach for Del Rio until news broke on Monday that AFC South division-leader Houston probably has lost quarterback Matt Schaub for the season with a foot injury. It opened a tiny sliver of opportunity for the Jaguars.

They would have to get on a roll, knock off rivals Houston and Tennessee in their remaining meetings, and hope the Texans (7-3) and Titans (5-4) stumble badly.

To hold up their end, Jacksonville has to get continued stellar play from its No. 4-ranked defense and hope the light goes on fast for struggling rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert.

The defense made a quantum jump from the 28th ranking a year ago. A couple of reasons why:

• Mel Tucker, the former Browns defensive coordinator, was granted full control of the unit after two seasons of basically deferring to Del Rio.

• General Manager Gene Smith loaded up on defensive free agents who have made major contributions. These include former Browns linebacker Matt Roth, now a starting end in Tucker's 4-3 system, linebackers Paul Posluszny and Clint Session, safeties Dwight Lowery and Dawan Landry, and cornerback Drew Coleman.

Now, fixing Gabbert in the midst of learning on the job will be a problem. Considered by some prior to the draft as being a surer thing as an NFL quarterback than rookie sensation Cam Newton, Gabbert was selected 10th overall by the Jaguars.

The original plan was to ease him in. But after veteran David Garrard was shockingly released after a poor preseason and Luke McCown stumbled through two starts, Del Rio made the switch to Gabbert in Week 3.

With Garrard released, Gabbert was left without a wizened veteran to mentor him. Like Colt McCoy, Gabbert also doesn't have an elite receiver. His rocket arm has been all over the place and his inexperience resulted in numerous forced throws. As a result, the Jaguars bring the 32nd-ranked offense to town on Sunday.

But after suffering four losses in a row, the Jaguars' stout defense stabilized things somewhat. It shut down Baltimore and Indianapolis for two wins in the last three games.

Del Rio's trying to rally his team behind the defense and running back Maurice Jones-Drew. It's not much, but it's all he's got.

On Twitter: @TonyGrossi

Tony Grossi's Scouting Report

View full sizeMichael Conroy, Associated PressJacksonville rookie QB Blaine Gabbert has struggled grasping the speed of NFL defenses, with the Jaguars carrying statistically the worst offense in the league.

Offensive overview: Rookie QB Blaine Gabbert is 2-5 since taking over and has struggled with accuracy and adapting to the pro game. The common problems for a struggling offense are there. Offensive line breakdowns, mediocre receivers not able to make plays. Also troubling to Gabbert has been a sub-par year from tight end Marcedes Lewis. But Gabbert does have mercurial running back Maurice Jones-Drew to lean on. Jones-Drew constantly fights through eight-man fronts to make his yards. When teams are able to contain him and force Gabbert to make plays on third-and-long, the result is usually a punt and sometimes a turnover. First down is vital to this offense. They're worst in the NFL, averaging 4.26 yards on first down. They've made a league-low 15 trips inside the 20 -- about two a game.

Defensive overview: Former Browns defensive coordinator Mel Tucker is in his third season with the Jaguars, but it's his first totally in charge and calling the plays. They've risen from 28th last year to fourth this season. The foundation is homegrown tackles Terrance Knighton and Tyson Alualu. They've been surrounded by productive free-agent pickups -- middle linebacker Paul Posluszny, former Brown Matt Roth, who's starting at left end, linebacker Clint Session and safeties Dwight Lowery and Dawan Landry. Tucker strives to stop the run with his twin 300-pound tackles and then play a two-deep Cover 2 zone to prevent long pass plays. It's a tough unit.

Special teams overview: Kicker Josh Scobee is 15 of 16 on field goals with a long of 55 yards twice. Punter Nick Harris is 28th in gross average (42.4 yards) and 20th in net (38.6). The coverage units are solid, featuring Pro Bowlers Kassim Osgood and Montell Owens as tacklers, but the return game has been ineffective.

View full sizePhelan M. Ebenhack, Associated PressAlmost exactly one year ago, Maurice Jones-Drew rallied the Jaguars to a victory over the Browns with 133 rushing yards and another 87 yards on three receptions.

Players to watch:

• Running back Maurice Jones-Drew: Despite running into constant eight-man fronts, he is fourth in the NFL with 854 rushing yards and has a solid per carry average of 4.5 yards.

Small world: Receiver Brian Robiskie was a second-round draft choice of the Browns in 2009 and was released after the seventh game this year. ... Quarterback Luke McCown was a Browns fourth-round pick in 2004 and was released after that season. ... Defensive end Matt Roth (2009-10) and defensive tackle C.J. Mosley ('09) played with the Browns. ... Receiver Cecil Shorts attended Collinwood High School and Mount Union College. ... Running backs coach Earnest Byner played with Browns 1984-88 and 1994-95. ... Former Browns coaches include quarterbacks coach Mike Sheppard, defensive coordinator Mel Tucker and defensive backs coach Cory Undlin. ... Director of player personnel Terry McDonough was a Browns scout.